Artists in War
Amplify the artist's voice - let the story be heard!
Archa Theatre is a member of an international platform that creates a bridge between Ukrainian and Czech artists through authentic stories. It responds to the needs of the Jam Factory cultural house in Lviv, Ukraine, which supports local artists. Archa comes up with a project that will always allow dialogue between two artists, one from Ukraine and the other from Bohemia.
"Our idea is based on long-term experience working in refugee camps, where many people who fled the war had no voice. Their lives were interrupted by the war. As theatergoers, we have developed a very intimate way for local artists to create an atmosphere of trust with a person in crisis, ”says Ondřej Hrab, director of the Archa Theatre.
Eight Short Compositions from the Lives of Ukrainians for a Western Audience
Archa Theatre and Jam Factory, Lviv / Text: Anastasiia Kosodii / Scenic concept and direction: Jana Svobodová
The text of the young Ukrainian writer Anastasiia Kosodii is a strong emotional statement that has a post-dramatic form and at the same time has deep roots in the Ukrainian cultural tradition. Theatre director Jana Svobodová chose a very modest staging format so the stories could be perceived on their own. Part of the production is the projection of the entire original unchanged text.
Five female performers, each from a different European country, react to the text with movement, singing and music. The empty space is thus filled with emotions that are transferred to the audience. After the premiere at the Akcent festival, the audience remained in the auditorium for long minutes in silence and meditation.
Text: Anastasiia Kosodii
Scenic concept and direction: Jana Svobodová
Music: Lotta Karlsson
Sound design: Jan Sedláček
Lighting design: Pavel Kotlík
Assistant director, production: Romana Sekáčová
Co-created and starring: Rosa Berman, Amanda Doherty, Lotta Karlsson, Maria Kosiychuk and Sofia Velez.
First showing: November 18 & 19, 2022 at the Archa Theatre within the International Festival of Documentary Theatre AKCENT.
Premieres: March 17 & 18, 2023, Archa Theatre, Prague
The production of the Archa Theatre was created in cooperation with the Jam Factory center, Lviv, Ukraine as part of the Artists in War international project.
Jam Factory Art Center
https://jamfactory.ua/
